# PRRT (peptide receptor radionuclide therapy)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/prrt-term/  
OnCo record `prrt-term` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A radioactive drug for neuroendocrine tumours: a small peptide that homes to the somatostatin receptor on the tumour cells carries lutetium-177, which irradiates them from within. Given four times, two months apart.

## Summary

Neuroendocrine tumours overexpress somatostatin receptor 2, imaged with gallium-68 or copper-64 DOTATATE PET and treated first with cold somatostatin analogues (octreotide, lanreotide) for symptom and growth control. 177Lu-DOTATATE (NETTER-1, approved 2018) improved progression-free survival dramatically in midgut NETs and NETTER-2 (2024) moved it to first line in high-grade tumours; 177Lu-edotreotide (COMPETE) followed. Alpha-emitting versions (212Pb-DOTAMTATE, 225Ac-DOTATATE) are in phase 3 for PRRT-refractory disease. Toxicities are marrow suppression, kidney dose and a small risk of MDS. Together with radioiodine and PSMA therapy it defines the theranostic model.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: PRRT; peptide receptor radionuclide therapy; 177Lu-DOTATATE; lutetium DOTATATE; DOTATATE; DOTATOC; somatostatin analogue; somatostatin analogues; SSA; SSAs; SSTR-targeted; SSTR imaging; somatostatin receptor imaging; alpha PRRT

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptide_receptor_radionuclide_therapy
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptide_receptor_radionuclide_therapy

## Connected records

- technologies: [Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT)](https://onco.cc/technologies/prrt/), [Radioiodine therapy and whole-body iodine scanning](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioiodine-therapy/), [Radioligand therapy (beta emitters)](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioligand-therapy/), [Targeted alpha therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/targeted-alpha-therapy/)
- terms: [Alpha vs beta emitters](https://onco.cc/terms/alpha-vs-beta/), [Dosimetry](https://onco.cc/terms/dosimetry/), [Theranostics](https://onco.cc/terms/theranostics/)
- cancers: [Grade 3 well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour](https://onco.cc/cancers/grade-3-net/), [Neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/neuroendocrine/), [Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic-net/), [Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/small-intestinal-net/)
- fronts: [Radiopharmaceuticals & Theranostics](https://onco.cc/fronts/radiopharma/)
- targets: [Somatostatin receptor 2](https://onco.cc/targets/sstr2/)
- drugs: [Gallium-68 DOTATATE (and Cu-64 DOTATATE)](https://onco.cc/drugs/ga68-dotatate/), [Lutetium-177 dotatate](https://onco.cc/drugs/lutathera/), [Somatostatin analogues (octreotide, lanreotide)](https://onco.cc/drugs/octreotide-lanreotide/)
- biomarkers: [PSMA expression by PET (PSMA-positive)](https://onco.cc/biomarkers/psma-pet-expression/), [Somatostatin receptor expression by PET (SSTR-positive)](https://onco.cc/biomarkers/sstr-pet-expression/)

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